The power of image.
Sadly, atrocities come and atrocities go. In our terrible times we seem hardly to be able to grasp the significance of one atrocity, and the next is already pushing itself to center stage, demanding our attention. And though it may be uncomfortable to admit, some atrocities stand out less because of what might be called their "suffering rating" (and I have no intention to give out grades here, nor to measure atrocity against atrocity in order determine who has suffered more) than because of their public relations. It would seem that, with so many laying claim to our attention, only those that create images that are imbedded in our memories will be remembered.
On April 26, 1937 German air force bombers, coming to the aid of the Spanish fascist Franco, attacked the Basque town of Guernica, killing perhaps 1600 civilians. The attack on Guernica was essentially a test of German air power, and the residents of Guernica were the guinea pigs. But as harrowing a scene as the attack on Guernica undoubtedly was, it's a fair guess that few would remember it, were it not for the mural by Pablo Picasso that bears the town's name. That mural has immortalized the town, and has become one of the strongest anti-war statements in art.
Go to: Reflections of a Spring Cleaner.